Chapter Text
Ze was pacing boredly, it has been a while since Regect and Moe left the new house. And Ze couldn't complain: it was a beautiful two story house that was almost like a mansion.
It had three upstairs rooms belonging to Regect, Moe, and Ze, a swimming pool, and a shooting range built especially for him. You could also see the first floor from the second floor because of an internal balcony.
Regect had outdone himself building it, something he'd never admit to his face, and he would appreciate it even more if it weren't for the fact that he had to be trapped there every single day, like a prisoner in his extravagant jail.
Since the incident in the hole… Neither Regect nor Moe wanted him to leave under any circumstances. At first, he accepted it, preferring to take a break from their adventures after that.
But he had enough.
He couldn't even use his new target practice techniques that he had been wanting to try, or even go outside to take some sun without the two of them following him around like dogs, and he was getting heated up.
Ze sighed heavily. It didn't matter if he wanted to be a people pleaser so his friends wouldn't abandon him (People pleaser? He didn't need to be; if he did something, it was because he wanted to). What mattered was that he was starting to stress out over everything that happened.
And if that wasn't enough, Regect begged him to leave his weapons in a safebox halfway down the second floor. He only agreed to it because he was getting annoyed by all the crying the creature was doing.
…
Well, it wasn't crying, it was more like… complaints.
Besides, it wasn't like he'd given the entity all his weapons; he still had some hidden arsenals, which he wouldn't give him not even for a second.
"How boring!" he sighed again, complaining. "Isn't here anything to do?" He knew he was going crazy by talking to himself, but he didn't care anymore; he just wanted something interesting to happen. How things change.
Luckily, his wish came true when he was walking to the kitchen and saw that they were short on food, with the refrigerator and storage nearly empty. It was the perfect excuse to leave.
"I mean, they'll probably thank me when they see I went grocery shopping again." He smiled to himself, thinking about Moe's compliments and Regect twisting of anger on the floor just because Ze is better than him. "And it's not like I'm breaking my promise to stay. It's not bad to lie if I have to."
He walked to the front door, checking that he had at least two weapons with him, and left. Besides, he didn't have to explain himself to anyone.
It's not like Moe and Regect were his parents.
After wandering through the woods and stumbling across countless IKEA stores he'd never consider entering again, he finally found a "normal" store. Even if it was a Walmart in the middle of the forest.
And Ze had to admit he went a little crazy with the shopping, but at least they will have food for a few months. Which wasn't bad at all considering Moe loved inventing new recipes and spent more than she should on them.
Of course, that was when his friend and Regect were home.
Lately, he hadn't spent much time with them since they always left mysteriously. At first, Ze accepted it; after all, he wasn't a snoop, and he had secrets too. But their outings became more and more often, to the point where they spent more time outside than inside.
The worst part was that they never left Ze alone, as if they were afraid that simply leaving would make him disappear. He didn't mind the company until they stopped letting him have any free time. Today was one of the few days he could have time all for himself.
As he walked, he became more lost in thought. Why couldn't they see from his point of view? He only got out of the hole to find himself trapped in a prison, how ironic. Ze just wanted things to go back to the way they were. Even though Regect's adventures annoyed him, and he preferred more normal things, at least those could distract him.
But thinking about it, now they treat him with more gentleness like if he was made of porcelain and couldn't shoot whatever that was in a 6 kilometer ratio distance.
He didn't know what annoyed him the most, the fact that they thought he needs to be protected or that they left him in the house like a caged animal.
He was confused by his friend's and Regect's attitude. Maybe he didn't understand it, but to Ze it seemed like an overreaction just for missing a few days. He was already better; in fact, they could probably take him to the hole and he would survive again.
He walked with heavy steps, having strayed away slightly from the path to spend more time outside, since he needed to take the opportunity he was not in that house for now. But he felt uneasy; it was strange how quiet it was.
Maybe he got used to Moe's honking or Regect's explosions, but it was so quiet. The birds weren't singing, and he couldn't hear a river nearby, even though he was sure he passed one recently.
He wasn't going crazy, he just felt… hesitant.
He kept walking, now with a quicker pace, turning around every now and then, feeling watched. Had the Eyes returned? Was he in the hole again? Was nothing real and would be meet with bedr-
A branch broke.
That wasn't him, there was something near.
He grabbed the bags and hid in the nearest bush. If boot camp had taught him anything, it was how to hide and fight. Luckily, he had two guns with him at all times.
He tried not to breathe so heavily, but the feeling that he was in danger right now wasn't helping. Maybe if he just got out and ran far enough home, he could make it back safe.
Maybe if he just pulled out his gun and aimed at whatever was chasing him, he could save himself.
So many options, but so little reassurance. It's not easy to come up with a strategy when you're under pressure and you don't have anyone watching your back.
No one was going to save him, but he could save himself. He stepped out cautiously, quietly getting out his weapon; he wasn't going to take any risks. In his other hand, he held the shopping bags, analyzing his surroundings. He walked slowly, gradually increasing his speed.
If only he had seen the hammer that almost hit him on the head. Luckily, Ze managed to dodge it and run away.
“¡LA CONCHA DE TU MADRE!” He yelled at the top of his lungs. Who hated him so much to attack him like that? Captain Dice didn't use hammers and wouldn't attack without announcing himself. Maturin didn't use weapons. Maybe Regect was pranking him?
He didn't have time to think when another hammer blow came straight at him. Ze fired his gun without thinking, but when he turned around, he couldn't believe what he saw.
Moe was holding a comically giant hammer, but she didn't look like Moe. She was someone completely different.
Could she be angry by something Ze did? How? He tried to remember as he dodged the clown's attacks. He wasn't going to shoot again; that was out of the question when it came to his friend. But that didn't stop the clown from trying to attack.
“Moe! Stop it!” He dodged her hits as best he could. The one with the bandana didn't expect her to have so much strength or stamina, but Moe never ceased to amaze him. “It's me, Ze. Can't you see?”
She didn't answer, she just kept hitting him so hard it seemed like she was trying to eat him. Although that could have just been his mind playing tricks on him.
Ze protected himself as best as he could. He didn't want to hurt his friend, but he couldn't let himself get hit either, and every time he ran away from her, the redhead haunted him until he had no choice but to face her attacks. He was getting tired very quickly.
But things turned worse when he felt a punch to his stomach, harder than usual.
He put his hands where the sharp pain was and when he looked up, he saw the person he hated the most in the world.
"Regect? W-what?" He recomposed himself. “What the HELL are you doing?" He yelled, he had enough with the clown and was not in the mood for any more nonsense, until he received a punch to his face.
He felt his face being crushed, and in mere microseconds, breathing became difficult. Every time he tried to exhale through his nose, he felt a sharp pain and had to clench his fists to avoid killing Regect right then and there.
But if he didn't, the entity would kill him first.
When he didn't see the entity in front of him, he panicked and moved, but didn't realize he had teleported behind Ze.
"¡No me digas boludo! Of fucking course!" He exclaimed sarcastically as he turned and dodged another hammer blow from Moe, who was still trying to attack him. "Now you remember your powers." He didn't have time to process his bad luck when Regect lunged at the player, roughly scratching his entire body.
His arms and legs burned as he tried to shake himself free from the entity's grip, and he nearly lost his breath when Moe slammed her giant hammer into his chest. At this point, if he survived it was a miracle.
Blood gushed from his limbs, his body slowly shutting down, and he grew more tired of fighting. It wasn't until the smell of iron filled the air that he truly thought he was going to die. But he wasn't the only one who noticed.
Regect also caught up to that scent and stopped dead in his tracks, as if his eyes could finally focus on who was standing before him. And the expression in his three right eyes and floating mouth shifted from aggression to utter desperation in an instant.
He threw himself off the player and received the next punch from the clown. “Moe! Stop!” More than shouting, he pleaded. “ It’s Ze! He’s not food.” Hearing those words sent a shiver down Ze’s spine, his friends were trying to eat him. Why?
Moe continued for a while, Regect doing his best to prevent her from hurting Ze further, and the white boy (he missed his skin from before he came here) took off running, seeing the opportunity.
He didn’t stop for a moment, he just ran forward without looking back until he found that house he hated so much but which now seemed like the only safe place.
He bounded up the stairs two at a time, his feet moving with inhuman speed, and found himself at the safe box containing his weapons. He tried to recall the code as best he could, "Dale, dale." He pressed the buttons without thinking. "No tengo mucho tiempo."
He swore he could hear the mocking laughter of the eyes right now, or perhaps he had already lost his mind, but it wasn't until the sixth attempt that he got the code correctly.
Ze grabbed as many weapons as he could and locked himself in his room, securing the door and closing the windows, consuming him into complete darkness.
He sighed, leaning against the door as he slowly descended to the floor. His breathing was ragged, and his legs ached from running so much. His wounds would likely spread if he didn't do something soon, but he didn't care in the slightest.
Only one question occupied his mind as he smoothed his hair, his hand lingering on his forehead longer than it should have.
"What the fuck just happened?”